jason1972cutlass

Hi everyone i am new here. ? i bought a 1971 98 that has been sitting for about 3 years fired her up motor was runing smooth so i drove about 3 blocks and parked her so the next day went to start the car it would not start right up so i finally got it started it was knocking bad pulled the val covers had 4 bent pushrods i replaced them tried again now valve stuck cant get it to free up what should i do thought about rebuliding dont know if its the lifters or what

jason1972cutlass

if thers anyone that can help with this i would appreciate it thanks

oldcutlass

Without seeing what you got it's hard to tell how severe your problem is. I personally would pull the intake, and hand crank the engine with a breaker bar while soaking the crap out of the valve stems with penetrating oil.

Octania

Penetrating oil:

"voodoo juice"

1/2 Acetone, 1/2 ATF...

That and lots of patient turning back n forth might free up the valves.

It ran once, THEN the valves stuck? That's weird.

MDchanic

Unless it ran, skipped a tooth on the timing gear when it was turned off, and bent the valves in the process.

I know it's not supposed to happen, but it happened to me once, so I know (all too well) that it can.

- Eric

Highwayman

Timing gear is the first thing that popped into my head. If that's the case, continuing to crank it over can cause more damage.

What's the mileage on the car?

jason1972cutlass

it has 80 thousand miles

Highwayman

At 80K I'm betting it's the timing gear.

jason1972cutlass

I'll give it a try was thinking about just getting it rebuilt

jason1972cutlass

A local shop told me he will charge me 2k to rebuild .Is that about right ? and I was thinkin for that price i could buy a remanufactured engine from advance auto parts any advice








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ah64pilot

2k to rebuild is probably not accurate...probably more like 3k or more to do it right. And getting a remanufactured engine is wasting money, they are rarely good and more than likely it won't be an Olds.

But why not find out what the problem is before jumping to that? On the valves that bent pushrods can you remove the rocker and physically open the valve by pushing hard w/ your hand? If it doesn't budge your problem is there and you'll need to dig further.

If the valve does open, then you might take the intake off & look at the lifters and cam for anything abnormal.

Either way, if 2k for a rebuild is too costly then try to figure out the real problem and fix it.

Another thing, is the car in really nice shape? If not, that 80,000 might actually be 180,000 miles.

MDchanic

You've got a (theoretically) 80,000 mile engine that ran well, and you don't even know what's wrong with it, and you're asking about an (unknown) local mechanic's offer to "rebuild" it?

Slow down there. Why not figure out what's wrong first and fix it?

- Eric

oldcutlass

X2 - Everyone wants to rush out and throw money and random new parts at something before trouble shooting. Try the suggestions above, and then make an educated decision on where to go next!

jason1972cutlass

thanks for all the help.. i lubed it up real good put it back together it stopped knocking. when i checked my oil it was milky i figured it was just from me getting water in it from pulling the intake

64Rocket

Probably a blown head gasket. The factory head gaskets are steel shim, from it sitting for years and all the years from 1971, it must have set for periods at a time to be low mileage, so the gaskets rust out. With driving it the short time, and the engine come up to temp, must have made the gasket blow out.

Gene

jason1972cutlass

No it just showed up on the dip stick. After i pulled the intake to get the bent pushrod out. I just let it run for about a min to see if the knocking stopped. I know some antifreez got under the intake i just havent changed the oil yet I figured thats where it came from

jason1972cutlass

Fixing to pull the motor to put in my 72 cutlass im restoring. I was wondering if all the A/C parts off the 71 9/8 will fit my cutlass

jason1972cutlass

My 72 cutlass didn't come with a/c. Can i use the parts off the 1971 98

Allan R

Only to a certain extent IIRC.

The AC setup for an A body also requires you to change the alternator position and install HD cooling. If you didn't have AC in your cutlass, you'll prolly have to upgrade to a 63A alternator. Yours is prolly 37A and mounted on the opposite side. That also means different pulleys. Chances are good all the underhood (compressor, mount brackets, evaporator box, water valve etc) and front evaporator can crossover. But you'll need a different heater core and interior parts for the A body. The vents/outlets and dash controls are all different on the B Body. It's a massive project.

jason1972cutlass

Thanks for the help

jason1972cutlass

When u say I need a different heater core. Was u meaning take the one off the 98 an put on my cutlass. Or keep the one i got on the cutlass already?

DarrylJ

I think you even have to change the whole in the firewall. I know the box is different on my ac car from my non ac car. Good Luck!

Allan R

No, the one in the 98 will not fit your car, it is a completely different design. You would have to change your heater core from the non AC to AC fitment.

Yes, you are right. The AC evaporator box has a square cut hole in a different place (more to the right) than the round hole for non AC.

Like I said, changing to AC is a big job. Might be more worthwhile looking at aftermarket AC if you really want it.

MDchanic

There may be a few other incidental parts that interchange between the B- and A-bodies, but as far as I recall, the only ones are the compressor and its brackets.

The only sensible way for someone who hasn't done it before to change a car from non-A/C to A/C is to get a parts car, disassemble it, and transfer the parts over while you've got it all there to look at, otherwise you'll be pretty much hosed.

- Eric

Allan R

Jason, where are you located?

jason1972cutlass

Caruthersville Mo its between St louis and Memphis

DeltaPace77

Hard to say if a worn timing set would cause that type of damage, but good idea changing it at 80K MI, as the nylon toothed cam quiet gear, is surely about gone by now. Probaby some pumped up hydraulic lifters though, so needing new lifters, pushrods, and rockers for sure. Timing set, and the other mentioned items, are far less money, than a total rebuild though. This can all be done with the engine still in the car, but since I have an engine picker, I just always pull it.

64Rocket

you need all the A/C unit from a car like yours. The mounting and the hole in the firewall is completely different. plus the control on the dash and all the vent and air ducts.
Not an easy job, but it can be done. For the most part only the parts on the engine will work as a start for you.

Gene

ah64pilot

If you wait a little while longer, Vintage Air is in the process of making a kit for the non-a/c cars...just an option if you can afford to wait

Allan R

I think they have it out already Steve. One of our members was looking at that last year. It's called the Gen IV for 70 - 72 Cutlass. http://www.vintageair.com/

ah64pilot

Allan, that is the factory air system...you are right, it was released last year.

http://www.vintageair.com/7072olds.asp

They were working on a system for factory non-a/c cars as well...but it hasn't been released yet. Might be a good time for an interested party to call and get a status update from them